Acceptance
by CastMeAway
Summary: The replica and the original fought for their identities. In the end, they both found themselves. When the original falls, the replica must finish the job. "Asch is dead…" but the G-d General isn't ready to disappear just yet.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: The replica and his original fought for their identities. They fought and in the end, both found themselves. When the original falls, it's the other who must finish the job. "Asch is dead…" but the G-d General isn't ready to just disappear just yet.**

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 **Ello Everyone! This has been sitting on my computer for years and I was having some massive writers block while trying to figure out some plot holes in The Age of Dragons. (Still writing it! It has not been forgotten!) I decided to do some writing exercises and got some inspiriation to actually finish this! This is going to be either 5 or 6 chapters. The story is actually already written aside from two paragraphs in the final chapter so if people enjoy it, I plan to upload a chapter a week. This is fairly canon though I may switch a few scenes around between the game and the anime. I will be using some (smallest amount possible) dialogue directly from the anime and game for certain parts though I will embellish and add as much of my own to fit the story. This is going to mostly be from Asch's POV though I may switch to Luke's at some point.**

 **This is both a 'what if' and character study on Asch in the final moments of the storyline. If people are interested, I may write up an additional chapter about how I came to certain conclusions on Asch's actions and thoughts (the actual character study I devised). Let me know your opinions on the choices I made in this.**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

 **-CMA**

* * *

His vision was already fading and the pain from his dissipating Fonons was nothing but a far off thought. He could feel the swords that were protruding from his body, but the pain was dulled. As the last Oracle Knight fell, a sword haphazardly shoved between the slats of his helmet, Asch stumbled backwards. Moving with a hand outstretched behind him, he backed up until he felt the pillar against his back. He leaned his numb body, a sudden mass of dead weight, against the cold surface. In his G-d General armor, however, he could not tell whether he was feeling the coldness of the pillar or if his own body temperature was simply dropping. Asch let himself slide down the pillar, his legs no longer able to keep him upright. Cracking open an eye, he forced his breathing to become regular again as he opened his and his replica's connection; something he found unusually difficult to do.

"Replica... Can you hear me?" He said slowly and painfully out loud in an attempt to force himself to stay in the world of the living. He got no response and realized a second later that the connection was barely open. He pushed again, this time making a slight link. He could not feel his replica like he normally could and knew that, for once, his replica felt no pain at the opening of the link. Instead he felt only a simple awareness from his other half.

'I'm afraid I won't be able to keep that promise,' his weak mental voice was barely a whisper, shocking even himself as to how bad his condition was. Due to the connection being barely open, he could not catch anything his replica said in response. Instead he was met with a wave of emotion that nearly knocked him over. Asch had felt raw rage and fury over the link, even indignation at some points throughout his mission: however, the emotion his replica was throwing across their link was something entirely different: despair.

The emotion shocked Asch into silence, his hand falling away from his fatal injury. They had fought for their identities and the replica had won. Asch had understood that upon losing that fight, Luke was indeed more than just his replica. However, he had not realized until that moment, the replica was the only other person who seemed to care whether Asch lived or died, aside from Natalia. The thought had struck him at the Tower of Rem but his pride had set it aside. Instead, he had assumed it was simply his replica's self-hatred that drove him to want his original to remain alive. He had noticed concern in the mirrored green eyes but had written it off. Instead, he had only seen Natalia's concern as anything of importance. Now, as his vision faded and his physical awareness drifted off, he realized that, of everyone, even his mother and father who had always known about Akzeriuth, only Natalia and his replica had continuously fought for him to live.

He felt his replica give a sudden feeling of reassurance; he assumed Luke was saying that he would come back to help.

'No, don't be stupid,' he barked over the connection.

'But…' Luke finally broke through, though he was nothing more than a whisper in the back of Asch's mind.

'You need to deal with Van,' he cut his replica off; forcing the words to come out evenly as at that moment his physical strength fully left him. His head fell forward, his vision turning red as the blood dripped down his waxen face. He knew he could trust his replica then. The replica that had stolen everything from him and yet tried at every chance to give it all back; he showed Asch that he was indeed not alone. He felt Luke trying to break through the connection and the strength of his sadness finally revealed one thing to Asch that he and his replica did in fact have in common; neither of them wanted to be left alone. For the longest time Asch had despised the idea of having his fon slots open to Luke. He had wanted little to no connection to the thing that had taken his life. However, he eventually found himself going to the connection more times than he could count. He never opened it, but consciously reached out in order to feel his other half's emotions or to listen in on the group. He would say to himself that it was there as an assurance that Natalia was okay but even he could not deny what it gave him; a sense of closeness to another being; even if it was just to his replica. Now, as his breathe left him in haggard and painful gulps, he fully tried to push on the link and with a final thought he let his consciousness go, "I'm counting on you," 'but you won't be doing it alone...'

* * *

Asch's consciousness came back with a sudden foggy clarity. For a moment he believed he had woken back up into the world of the living. However, as he tried to open his eyes, an emotion he had not truly felt in years came to him for a slight moment: fear. He floated in a vast black world, with green fonon's floating throughout as the only source of light. It took him a moment to realize why he could not control his body. The fear vanished as he realized that he had managed to complete the fon slot connection before the Big Bang occurred and his fonons went to Luke. He had forcefully transferred his consciousness across his fon slots and into his replica's mind; just like how he had taken Luke's consciousness into himself the first time they had met in Yulia city.

"Asch... Asch is dead..." Luke's sudden words filled the quiet that surrounded him. He felt shock radiating from his replica but kept his consciousness far into the recesses of Luke's mind. He was too deep within Luke's mind to see through the replica's eyes. Although he was tempted to push his consciousness forward, he was still weak with fatigue and did not want to show Luke he was there yet. Silence fell again when the voice he missed most filled the empty space.

"No! Tell me it's not true!" Natalia's far off voice echoed in the black void and although he tried to keep his emotions in check, Asch could not stop himself from becoming consumed with guilt and remorse. Natalia began to cry, her sobs echoing in the sudden silence as, Asch realized, Luke was in shock.

"Natalia… I'm sure…" Tear's voice was soft and barely reached Luke's ears.

"That light just then…" the Necromancer suddenly spoke up over the crying princess, his voice subdued but serious instead of his usual joking.

"They… looked like fonons," Guy finished in much the same tone.

"Yes… I… I felt something warm flow through me… I felt Asch's presence…" Silence continued when suddenly a calming feeling surrounded his consciousness, the guilt in Asch lifting slightly. He reasoned that his uncontrolled emotions had probably revealed his presence to Luke, though he wondered if Luke truly understood.

"I suppose it's possible," Jade began, "There is a bond between an original and their replica. Not to mention your fon slots were opened to each other at Choral Castle." Asch couldn't help but scoff at the understatement. He figured Jade was simply understating the truth for the sake of simplicity since Guy couldn't explain it. He suddenly felt Luke startle when he scoffed. Asch quietly swore under his breath for giving himself away so stupidly. A sudden sense of realization hit him as he felt the body he was in kneeling.

"Why… why… did… did you…" the princess's words were almost unrecognizable as she tried to speak through her tears. Luke seemed to pause and even Asch wondered who exactly Natalia's words were directed too. After a moment, Asch felt Luke steel himself.

"Natalia." Luke's voice came through strong and clear. Asch was suddenly hit with a wave of fatigue but forced himself to stay awake. "I'm sorry," Luke stopped, as if fighting with what to say next. A sigh breached the air before Asch felt Luke's hand raise to his chest. "Asch's heart passed into me with those fonons. He is fighting with us, to protect this world."

"We should hurry. Unless we want to let his sacrifice go to waste," Jade said, his tone stern but not harsh. Silence reigned for several moments. Asch nearly moved forward towards Luke's eye in order to see what the hell was going on when Natalia's voice finally broke the stillness.

"...Y-yes, you are right." Her shaking voice suddenly gained an edge as it steadied. Asch couldn't help but smile at her resolve. He, again, felt the body of Luke moving as the replica stood. The rest of the conversation was drowned out as they began to move forward again. No words were spoken within the group for some time as Asch fought to keep his eyes open.

'Asch?' a voice tentatively asked. Asch's head snapped to the right as Luke appeared in the void. The replica looked around the dark, green lit space.

'Yeah I'm here...' Asch sighed, his exhaustion bearing down on him and still unsure about the circumstance he now found himself in as he walked forward to meet Luke.

'I don't understand...' Luke said slowly as Asch stopped a few feet away. His spoke with uncertainty as if Asch would snap at him. For a moment the Ex-G-d general considered it, figuring Luke could sense his fatigue, but couldn't find any source of anger within him for once.

'My body is dead. I simply transferred my mind to yours before my body disappeared...' Luke opened his mouth to respond before closing and opening it again. He closed his mouth one more time, prompting Asch to raise an eyebrow. Luke shook his head and, instead of asking more questions, looked up with sadness.

'I'm sorry...' Asch sighed, as the despair appeared again; the despair was more apparent as he was now within his replica's mind instead of being behind a fon slot barrier.

'Don't," he snapped. Though he wasn't necessarily angry, his previous irritation towards his replica was easy enough to draw on. "You may have won but I chose to stay back and fight. There was no way we were both escaping from that room. I don't regret it," he noticed his irritation was disappearing as he spoke. "It would have happened regardless...' he finished slowly. He felt Luke fighting with himself to ask further questions but seemed to decide against it. A decision Asch was very grateful for. As the group walked on, Asch moved forward in Luke's mind. There was no resistance from his replica. The outside light was too bright for his consciousness after being in the darker part of Luke's mind. Asch found himself trying to blink before realizing he was not in his body anymore. Being the one not in control sent a flare of irritation through the disembodied g-d general only for him to feel sudden mirth surround him.

The replica was laughing! Asch clenched his fists, choosing to ignore the laugh that was both coming from behind and around his incorporeal body. His anger left him as soon as it had come. His irritation was still around in plenty quantities but his true anger was harder to find. He fell back again, riding silently in Luke's mind as the replica rejoined the conversation outside his body.

Even though he bought himself time, Asch understood that he couldn't stay inside Luke's mind forever. He would either be violently expelled or silently overwhelmed by the real consciousness; which ever came first to the replica's body. Asch was surprised to feel content with that knowledge. At least he could live on for a short while longer. His consciousness drifted off as fatigue overtook him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ello!**

 **To those who checked out the first chapter of this story, I hope you enjoyed it at least a little. As I said before, this story is basically pre-written so I will be posting a chapter every week (ideally on saturday) until it is finished. Let me know what you think about this chapter if you have a moment to do so!**

 **I have a quick note at the end explaining my reasoning behind a specific choice I made within this story (Not important to read, just there if anyone is curious!).**

 **Best,**

 **CMA**

* * *

"...He said he gained nothing from life," Asch heard the former Fon Master Guardian say as his mind woke up. He wasn't sure how but he felt strangely revitalized from whatever form of sleep he had undergone. "That he hated being alive…" Her voice was tinged with sadness and mixed with surprise.

"It's hard to think that someone could gain nothing from living," Guy added. "He believed he was nothing more than a discarded replica."

"In some ways he was. He was created to replace the original Fon Master but was not close enough in ability," the necromancer's voice joined in. "Even though Van had a use for him after that, it was still only that, a tool to be used for a specific purpose."

"That's just cruel…" Natalia said softly, a slight quiver to her words. "Replica's are so much more than tools. They are breathing, living, and fighting just as we are."

Asch could sense Luke growing tenser as the group talked but didn't realize why until the replica opened his mouth. "That was Master Van's purpose for me…" The solemn voice of Luke filled the void. Even from his spot in the green lit void, Asch could feel the sudden tension that filled the following silence.

"…Luke," Tear's voice was hesitant. Asch decided he was tired of sitting in the darkness. As he moved forward in the void to see through Luke's eyes, he felt a gentle touch of recognition. The essence of Luke's mind appeared next to him, though he seemed deep in thought.

"If you are about to start spewing that 'no one needs me' crap again, I'm going to punch you," Asch could now see Guy. The blonde's fists were clenched at his side. Asch expected Luke to become defensive, to deny, but instead, he took everyone by surprise by laughing.

"I can promise you, Guy, I'm no longer feeling out of place." He said, a grin clear in his tone though Asch couldn't physically see his face. "It's just… I suppose I can understand what Sync meant."

"How so?" Anise asked, her quiet tone belying her discomfort and shock.

"...I spent so long, locked in the manor... I remember wondering at times; what purpose was I there for? It wasn't until after Azeriuth that I realized I wasn't really living. I was originally born so I could be a replacement for Asch…"

"Which you weren't," Guy said quickly, a tenseness still in his tone.

"No, I wasn't," Luke said just as fast. "But, that's just it. I wasn't able to be a replacement for Asch. I didn't die at Azeriuth like I was 'supposed' to and so Master Van 'threw' me away. I know it's not the same, but I still think I understand." Anise, who had been pouting throughout the replica's speech, narrowed her eyes. She opened her mouth to seemingly argue the matter when another voice broke in.

"You mean because, while you ended up taking a different path in the end, Sync was still born to replace the original Fon Master Ion," Tear hedged, prompting Luke to nod at her correct guess.

"Yeah. I had people who supported me. I found a way to live despite not having a normal past. I don't agree, but I do think I understand."

"So long as you don't start talking like him…"

"No worries there," Luke said with another laugh, "I've gained plenty from being alive," Asch felt an arm grasp his, the replica's, shoulders as Guy gripped him in a headlock.

"You better have," Guy quipped, before giving Luke a partial hug and then shoving him away. The replica laughed as he stumbled before quickly regaining his balance. Asch rolled his eyes, before noticing that Luke's incorporeal form had finally focused on his presence.

'I see you're awake,' Luke said as the party continued on. Asch noticed, offhandedly, that the ex-Fon Master Guardian had maneuvered herself directly next to Luke. He nearly mentioned it but figured, if Luke was too stupid to notice her approach, she would make her presence known soon enough.

'I see you're still an idiot,' he shot back, feeling Luke's confusion waft over him in a wave. 'How long have I been asleep for?' he asked instead.

'Maybe an hour?' Luke provided, still confused but not fighting back. Asch wondered if it was because Luke had noticed the comment had been without malice for a change. 'We would be closer but we keep getting attacked by enemies' he said, frustration seeping into his voice. Before Asch could make another comment, someone else interupted.

"Hey, Luke?" Luke blinked in shock before looking at Asch.

'Like I said; still an idiot. Do I sound like a little girl to you?' he nearly snarled before watching Luke grin.

'No, then I'd be insulting myself,' he joked before his presence suddenly disappeared. Asch blinked in shock, before fighting a small smile that nearly made it onto his face, nearly giving the replica that win as well.

"Yes, Anise?"

"You said you gained things from being alive. Like what?" She asked, her tone seemed innocent and merely contemplative, as if trying to resolve a simple problem that had been bothering her. Luke paused, as if unsure how to answer before looking down towards the puppeteer, Tokunaga clutched in her arms instead of on her back like normal.

"Well, for one I have friends," he said, before catching her raised eyebrow and her clearly pointed look towards Guy who walked at the front of the group with Jade. "He was my servant before I met all of you. I wasn't even supposed to talk with him," he said, grumbling. His voice nearly took on his old whine as he spoke and Asch felt himself cringe internally. Luke seemed to realize and stopped halfway before adopting a more serious tone. "When Guy became a noble, and when we all started on this journey, I didn't have to worry about all that... I guess, I also found a purpose…"

"But I thought you said you didn't need a purpose to live?" She said, her voice borderline accusatory.

"I don't!" Luke seemed to panic suddenly, before calming down. Luke looked back at Anise who was staring straight ahead. "I don't need a purpose. But I still have one. I realized I had people to protect and a life of my own to live. Like I said earlier, I don't really have a past to remember, so I may as well remember my future," he finished. A moment passed before Anise finally turned to look at Luke. Her head tilted to the right as she watched the red head.

"What?" Luke said defensively as she continued to stare. Asch could only sit in silence at that speech. Sure he had heard his replica sprout similar statements in recent weeks, but he had never heard him speak with so much conviction before aside from during their fight.

"Can you promise me something?" She suddenly asked.

"Uh, sure. What is it?"

"Promise me you will continue to fight to live," she said. Asch expected his replica to immediately respond, but the silence that followed confused him. Asch only let it go on for a second longer than was necessary before butting in.

'Well? Why aren't you promising?' he said in agitation to the void. Instead of getting a defensive or angry response back, he instead got an incorporeal Luke standing before him, wringing his hands nervously. Narrowing his eyes, Asch stepped forward but forced himself not to grab the front of Luke's shirt. 'What? Do you plan to die?' he snapped only to drop his mouth in shock as the replica only looked away. He stepped forward to grab Luke after all when Luke vanished again. Growling in anger, he moved forward to again get a view through Luke's eyes.

"Luke?" Anise said, her eyes narrowing before Luke suddenly rubbed the back of his neck and laughed.

"Come on Anise! What's with that all of a sudden? Of course I will live. We will defeat Master. Nothing to worry about!" She looked at Luke for a moment, her eyes still narrowed before she suddenly grinned and hugged Luke around the middle. Asch felt the embrace and felt Luke's arms responding in kind. A strange feeling as he had no control over the movements. Anise suddenly disentangled herself from the hug and ran forward to throw herself at Guy's back. The noble stumbled, righted himself, and looked over his shoulder just long enough to jump out of his skin.

'Well?' Asch harshly demanded as laughter echoed around the outside.

'Can't you feel it?' was the harsh response in return. Asch decided to overlook the unusual tone and instead tried to visualize what the replica was getting at. A moment passed before Asch's eyes widened. Though he didn't have a body to hurt, or air to leave him, he still felt as if he had been punched in the gut. He gasped and, as he tried to steady his form, was assaulted by a familiar feeling. The small amount of green fonons around him, the distance between each one, was suddenly painful. He felt his body; he felt pain radiating from his right hand to his chest. Darkness was surrounding his being before a sudden form assaulted his vision. Luke knelt before him, a look of concern etched into his face as Luke gripped his shoulders. Though he couldn't actually feel the pressure on his shoulders, he felt himself become grounded. The pain disappeared as the dulled green lit darkness, which was actually just the void of Luke's mind, came back into focus.

'Are you okay?' Luke asked, as he attempted to help Asch stand. Asch stood on his own, ignoring the question as he focused on his surroundings. The fonons, though steady again and stable, were diminished in number compared to when he had first woken up in Luke's mind. He couldn't understand how he had missed it. Luke's fonon levels were extremely low and it wasn't hard to tell.

'How long?' He demanded, cringing as he watched another green light blink and then vanish all together.

'…How long what?' Luke asked. Asch wanted to ask if he was being stupid or just difficult on purpose but instead took a steadying breathe as more lights vanished.

'When did this start?'

'The Tower of Rem,' was the solemn response. Asch turned to face Luke, who was now facing the dark void. Luke watched as more fonons vanished, waiting for Asch to comment. They stood in silence before Asch finally sighed.

'I guess house Fabre really does have stupid genes,' he said, echoing what he had said when they had first fallen into the trap hours ago.

'What?'

'Nothing. How long?' he glared at Luke who had opened his mouth before promptly snapping it closed with a sheepish look. 'How long do we have?' Asch specified.

'To be fair, you aren't exactly being specific,' Luke joked, before quickly hurrying on. 'The doctor in Belkend wasn't sure. Jade said so long as I don't overdo it and over use my powers, I could last for some time,' he said, though to even Asch's ears, he sounded uncertain.

'Is Jade the only one who knows?'

'Tear does.' Asch looked at Luke in shock, figuring she would have been the last one he would have told. Luke held up his hands defensively.

'She overheard Jade and I talking about it. I never planned to tell any of them.'

'Why?'

'Because they have other things to worry about,' Luke said, his tone clipped for a change and Asch decided to drop the topic there. For the first time, Asch felt a true sense of empathy well up inside him towards his replica at his choice to withhold that kind of information. Score knows how many times he had done it himself to protect those he still cared for. As this thought occured to Asch, he stood in an unusual silence with Luke; both watching as one by one the lights slowly blinked out.

* * *

 **A/N** **If anyone wonders why I chose to write Luke's mindscape as I did, (a black void with dulled green lights):** I decided it needed to look different from the one seen when Asch is the one in control. Normally, (in the anime at least) when Asch activates the fon slot connection, Asch and Luke appear in a black/purple void and seem to be able to see each other. 1) Everyone is unique in both body and mind. 2) Replica's are made up of only seventh fonons, and since Luke's fonon's are slowly separating, I figured his mindscape would take on a drastically different form.


	3. Chapter 3

**So this chapter is a little shorter than the others but it felt right to leave it at the length it is. Thanks to everyone who has checked out this story and I hope to hear from some more people soon! The Tales of Series is one of my all time favorites and I always love discussing the games!**

 **Note: This story is not meant to be story-driven. It is meant to delve into Asch's (and by extension, Luke's) character and be more of a study on them with the normal plot.**

 **DiaSphere:** Thank you! I have to say, writing any Tales of story is difficult with the range of characters. I was concerned about Asch's portrayal in this, but given the circumstances (and I may put up my actual reasoning for why I wrote him in certain scenes at the end of this story proper), I was hoping it wasn't to out of place. I'm glad everyone seems in character so far. Hopefully the rest of the chapters work out!

 **Corovera:** Thanks! I had thought of this concept years ago but only thought to actually finish and publish it about a month or two back. Hopefully the rest of the chapters don't disappoint!

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The group continued walking in silence. Luke glanced around at the vibrant vegetation which was mixed in with the buildings that were slowly constructing themselves as fonons continued to merge. The building they were just passing had a number of bricks half materialized, with a partially formed roof that looked like it would cave in at any moment. Luke shivered. The rest of the group had mentioned that Hod was still being reconstructed, that the replication process was to slow to account for the many details needed for a complete project in such a short amount of time. Seeing the place for what it was, Guy's original home as it was being replicated, left a bad taste in Luke's mouth. He felt Asch contemplating something but noticed that his original chose to keep it to himself for a change.

"It's strange," Guy said from his right. Having had an entirely silent conversation with Asch just minutes prior, Luke couldn't stop himself from jumping at the sudden noise. Amusement that was not his own creeped into the back of his mind and he quickly shoved Asch back in order to focus on Guy.

"What is?"

"Just that I know this should be familiar, and in a way it is, but..." Guy paused for a moment before shaking his head. "When I saw my manor back there, I was hit with so much familiarity before I realized it wasn't real. At first, I truly saw Hod. Even though it looks the same, I can't accept this as Hod. No matter how many places I continue to recognize from my childhood. Like," he suddenly pointed to a large white, marble house that they were beginning to pass on their right. The building was set further back than many of the others. A vibrant courtyard of purple, blue, and yellow flowers stood at its front. "That was the house my sister was supposed to marry into when she came of age," he explained softly. Luke looked from the large, brilliantly decorated house to his friend's unreadable expression.

"Guy… I…" Guy shook his head, and Luke promptly closed his mouth.

"Like I said, it all looks familiar, but it isn't. Not really. This isn't a replacement of Hod, because Hod cannot be replaced. Nothing is a substitute," he said, suddenly gaining a pointed look that he directed at Luke. Luke rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Are you ever going to forget that?" Luke asked in slight annoyance as he looked away from Guy. The courtyard suddenly gave way to cracked ground and open space. Fonons in the air were visibly being pulled towards the blank area; the replica of Hod still slowly expanding and building up to its final completion.

"Never," Guy said with what Luke thought sounded like anger. However, when he turned to look at his best friend, Guy had a small smile gracing his face. "To forget would be an insult. Just like how Hod only lives in memory now, I still hold on to it."

They walked on in companionable silence for some time. At one point it seemed like Asch was going to comment on the exchange but when Luke appeared within his mind, he arrived only to see Asch watching the fonon's slowly blinking out of existence. Deciding to leave Asch to his own thoughts, he returned his entire focus to Guy at his side.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked before he even noticed the words had formed in his mind. Guy blinked twice before turning his head in confusion.

"Can you be more specific?" he asked and Luke fought off a smirk remembering his and Asch's earlier argument.

"Ah right. Sorry," Luke said. Suddenly uncomfortable, he turned his heard forward. "With Master Van," he felt a slight twinge of annoyance spike within him from his other half but pushed Asch's grievances aside. "Will you be okay once we go up against him?"

"It's not like this is the first time," Guy seemed to say carefully. "That first fight was difficult but I didn't regret it then. I said that I would stop him and I'm not about to back out on that now." A hand landed on Luke's shoulder causing him to turn his head to face Guy. "I've chosen to live in the present. Van chose to live in the past," he said, clenching his other fist in front of him. "Too many people have been hurt for this vision."

"Now it's our time to stop it," Luke said with certainty. Guy nodded his head in agreement.

"Will you two stop dawdling!" Natalia's voice called from up ahead. Luke hadn't even noticed that he and Guy had stopped walking during their conversation. They shared a quick look of amusement before rushing forward to catch up with the group who was stopped at the end of the long white stone path. Natalia stood closest to them, her hands on her hips and a look of annoyance.

'…Wait…' the word popped into Luke's mind moments before it happened. He barely had time to contemplate if it was Asch's voice or just Luke's own sense of the coming danger that brought the word to mind. As Luke and Guy reached the rest of their friends, fonons surged around them. Taking in a sharp breathe as the seventh fonons collided and impacted on his skin, a circle of green light sprang to life. He could barely hear Jade's shouted 'Sync must have set a trap' over the panic and loud noise being caused by the fonic art that sat below them.

"It's too late… we…" Anise said, her voice more scared then Luke had ever heard. Luke tried turning through the thick fonons that were thundering around them when another voice shouted in his ear.

'Calm down, idiot!' Asch suddenly pulled him into his mind, the dark expanse filled with unnatural green light.

'What do we do?' Luke asked after taking a deep breath and shoving his own panic down.

'We need to try to dispel the fonons.'

'We can do that?'

"Do you really not understand anything about hyperresonance?" Asch bit out when it dawned on Luke. Before he could say anything else, however, his hand was grabbed by his original. Though he couldn't actually feel the contact, he could sense their minds connecting. Blinking, he looked into Asch's unreadable face.

'Concentrate on your hyperresonance,' was all Asch said before his eyes closed and he took one deep breath. As the green light began to overtake his vision, Luke closed his eyes, concentrated and then pushed.

A blast of energy exploded from his being. The feeling was familiar but at the last second something shifted. For the first time, he felt in control. As Luke opened his eyes again, to the fading light of his hyperresonance, the green fonons had completely dissipated from around their group. As the others slowly lowered their hands from their eyes, Luke took a moment to search for Asch's presence. He nearly panicked when he got no response before realizing the burst of energy had sent Asch's consciousness back to sleep.

"Wh…What happened?" Anise's voice brought Luke back to the outside world as Jade turned to face him. The taller man stared intently at the red headed noble, his red eyes narrowed behind his glasses. Jade's eyes scanned Luke's face but after only a moment the man pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the gleam hiding his stare.

"Hypperresonance? No… Second –order hyperresonance? Impossible…"

"What was that power?" Tear asked in bewilderment, stepping towards Luke. Her hand outstretched before she dropped it back to her side in obvious concern. Luke paused before answering as he guaranteed Asch was definitely asleep.

"I…I don't know. But the moment I thought about Asch, something just sparked…It felt similar to when I destroyed Akzeriuth but I was actually able to control it."

"What is this second-order hyperresonance, Jade?" Guy asked from behind Luke's shoulder. Luke wanted to be annoyed by his obvious hovering but decided to let it go.

"The theory behind it has never been established…" the necromancer paused. Though his eyes were still hidden, Luke got the feeling he was still watching him intently. "It's believed that when two hyperresonances interact, it is said that they can neutralize the effects of all fonons."

"Amazing. So Luke just…"

"It was because of Asch," he said with force. He wanted to tell them, that Asch was there, that he had helped save them more than what they thought but he instead just clenched his fist. He knew Asch wouldn't appreciate him telling them the truth.

"Yes," Natalia said as Luke looked up into her face, her eyes misty but determined. "He accepted you and now he is fighting alongside us." Her fingers came together in front of her chest as she worked to keep her composure. Luke was glad Asch was not aware in that instant.

"Yeah, so now we just need to put up a fight worthy of him," he said with a smile to the group instead, trying to ignore the sleeping presence in the back of his mind. His friends nodded in agreement as they turned to face the great white stairs that stood before them.


	4. Chapter 4

_**AN: Ello everyone! Sorry this is so late! I ended up taking a very last minute trip on the 25th and everything spiraled out of control from that point on. But better late than never! The fifth chapter (the last chapter!) is done and will be posted next week. I will try for Tuesday (the 18th) but Tuesday's are generally my most hectic day so if you don't see it Tuesday, it shall be up on Wednesday at the latest. Anyway, let me know what you think of this chapter and if you have any opinions on my choices so far.**_

 _ **Best,**_

 _ **CMA**_

 **Corovera: Glad you are enjoying it! I wasn't sure how the concept would translate on paper and I was especially concerned with characters potentially being to OOC. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

The group had decided to rest at the foot of the stairs for a short time. Luke was sitting against a large marble pillar. At first he was hesitant to be near the area since the pillar only had a bottom formed, the pillar still being built with gathering fonons. However, after a few moments of watching the ceiling, Luke determined the space was about as safe as the rest of Eldrant seemed to be. Sitting a distance away from the group, he watched the others for a time before deciding to close his eyes for a few minutes. As the others took stock of their gear and Tear did a quick once over of any injuries acquired from fights earlier in the day, Luke felt Asch beginning to stir. He was about to address his unusual companion when he heard a quiet clatter of heels. Opening his eyes, he looked up to see Natalia standing a few feet away.

"May I join you?" she asked hesitantly, a tone Luke no longer liked to hear from Natalia after the fiasco with his uncle and her birthright. He smiled at her and patted the spot next to him against the pillar. She smiled gently in return and slowly lowered herself to the ground. They both sat and watched as the wall across from them glittered with sparkling green fonons. Luke waited a moment, expecting her to say whatever had brought her over, but she remained quiet. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her hands nervously folding and unfolding in her lap. With a sigh he sat up straighter.

"What did you need Natalia?" he said, knowing Asch was going to be awake very soon and, for some reason, wanted this conversation to occur before the former g-d general awakened. She jumped slightly, as if surprised he asked, before taking a deep breath and turning her head in his direction.

"I wanted to apologize," she said, only to stop. "What is that look for?" she said with annoyance and an undertone of uncertainty. Luke blinked the clearly surprised look from his face.

"Why are you apologizing?" he asked, genuinely confused, trying to think back to their previous conversations that day.

"Earlier," her eyes were again downcast, her voice going quiet causing Luke to have to lean in to hear her, "when I started to blame you..." Her words from earlier came back immediately and he turned his gaze away. Though she hadn't been clear at the time, he now understood what her words had meant. 'Why did you…'

"You were gonna say 'why did you have to live', weren't you," he said softly. He wanted to be upset with her but honestly couldn't bring himself to even feel sad. He had said both questionable and similar things before in the past and he knew her feelings for Asch; he couldn't fault her for her love. He felt more than saw her tense up next to him as her head snapped up from its lowered position.

"I…"

"It's fine Natalia… I unders…"

"NO!" She nearly shouted, causing Luke to turn back to her in shock. He had a moment to wonder if the others had heard her and were now listening but the woman beside him reclaimed his entire attention. "No," she said again more quietly as she shifted to sit on her knees so she was directly facing her friend. "It's not excusable. I told you, didn't I? Before we went to the Tower of Rem? You and Asch are both special to me," she said gently, taking one of his hands into both of hers, "I wanted you both to live… " She bit her lower lip, "I'm selfish, I know." She said with a sad smile, "I wanted you both here, to help me and the Kingdom. Just know that I am sorry. You are dear to me. I hope no matter what, I never make you believe otherwise."

Luke didn't know what to say, his throat tied with emotion. Instead, he just put his other hand over hers, squeezing it in what he hoped conveyed his understanding. The smile that she sent him was heartfelt and he knew she understand the gesture. As she stood to move away, she quickly reached out and hugged him and for once he didn't pull away but returned the embrace from his childhood friend. She walked over to rejoin the others, the tenseness in her shoulders already gone as she went to sit next to Tear. A few minutes passed before Luke turned inward.

'You okay?' Luke asked. Asch was far enough within his mind that he couldn't visualize the other's facial expression but could easily get a sense of annoyance.

'I'm fine,' he said groggily, causing Luke to quietly laugh. He wondered how much of the conversation Asch had heard but figured if the former g-d general wasn't going to bring it up, Luke was safe to do the same. 'I see it worked then?

'Yes. Thanks to you we are all safe,' Luke said only to feel another surge of annoyance. 'Why are you angry?' he demanded, less annoyed himself and more confused.

'It wasn't just me you idiot!'

'I know that but it was YOUR idea! Why can't you just accept thanks from time to time?' Luke shouted back and when only a dead stillness reached him he returned to the outside world.

"Are we set to go?" Jade asked the group, though Luke was sure his eyes had been trained on him before snapping to the others.

"We should be good," Tear said as she stood up from Anise's side. The green glow from Tear's seventh fonons fading as Anise pulled the sleeve on her right arm back down.

"Thanks," she chirped happily as she jumped to her feet.

"Of course," Tear said in return as she helped Natalia up. The latter then proceeded to lightly flick the pink clad Anise on the forehead with her pointer finger.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"Next time you're injured tell us," Natalia said with a smile, which Anise gratefully returned as she paused in the action of rubbing her head.

As Luke hauled himself up off the ground, a person quickly fell into place beside him. He didn't need to look to notice it was Tear. She quickly made sure he had no injuries unaccounted for before the group as a whole began to head up the massive steps. The usually talkative group was subdued as their footfalls echoed in the massive staircase.

"You said Asch was within you?" Tear's sudden question sent Luke into a quiet panic. He looked sideways to face the seventh fonist. However, when he saw a gaze without any anger or suspicion, Luke realized his fear that she understood more was unfounded. He took a moment and silently noted Asch's discomfort.

"Yeah… I felt his strength…" he said quietly. Since it wasn't really a lie, he sent a true smile the seventh fonist's way.

"Do you think he regrets it?" she asked just as quietly and Luke could only blink at her in shock as her eyes turned away from him in an unusual sign of discomfort. Silence reigned for a moment, both inside and out. Unsure how to respond with Asch literally hovering so near, he decided to instead hedge the subject to a topic he knew he could discuss.

"I know I do…" he felt her gaze return to his person.

"Luke…" The tone seemed to resonate from both within and outside and his head snapped to the side to see Tear narrowing her eyes. Realizing what she probably thought, he raised his hands up in front of him in a placating manner. "I don't regret being alive," he quickly said, holding in his annoyance at the usual assumption. "...I wanted us to do this together. All of us," he said, knowing Asch was listening as the additional irritation he felt within his mind suddenly vanished. Tear's eyes widened before softening slightly. "Asch made his decision to stay and fight, so I won't hate him for it," he said wondering what Asch was thinking. The g-d general was doing a much better job at holding back his emotions. "I honestly don't think he regrets it either," he said slowly.

"Why do you think that?" Guy's asked, her voice much closer than Luke had expected. Looking over his shoulder to catch Guy's gaze, he didn't miss Natalia's questioning look beside the Malkuthian Noble. For a moment Luke wanted to say never mind. However, noticing how Jade and Anise were also clearly listening ahead of them, he figured there was no way out of the conversation anymore.

"I don't really know," Luke said slowly, his head tilting up slightly in thought. He knew he wasn't going to get any help from said individual. "When I felt him…When I felt him die," he said carefully, surprised by how hard the words were to say. "I'm pretty sure I heard him say 'I'm counting on you' in the end," he said, thinking back to that moment. "I didn't feel any anger from him. I… he almost felt content," he said, slightly unsure but knowing the word felt right.

"Well whatever happened before that, he must have come to terms with whatever was bothering him in the end," Guy offered. Luke figured he was speaking for Natalia's benefit but Luke wondered how true that statement was.

"Well we did have an interesting talk before I met up with you all again," Luke added, some of his annoyance towards their earlier physical encounter leaking through.

"I would imagine so," Jade said over his shoulder, finally joining the conversation. "I highly doubt Asch just gave you the Key of Lorelei out of the goodness of his heart," his snide tone was hard to miss.

"What did happen exactly?" Guy asked, opting to ignore Jade's contributions to the conversation.

"Yes, how did he die?"

"Colonel!" Tear sounded aghast, and Luke could easily pick out the misstep behind him which had probably been Natalia.

"It's a scientific inquiry," Jade said while pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. The group remained silent for a time until Jade spoke again. "Luke?" The suddenly soft tone surprised Luke and he looked to his left to meet Tear's concerned gaze.

"He was surrounded by oracle knights," Luke said suddenly, feeling a sudden jolt of shock from within his mind. He knew Asch wasn't providing the information in anyway, and yet the images sparked to life as if by command. "One of them managed to stab him from behind," he continued, the images cutting off though if by his desire or by Asch's he wasn't sure.

"Why Jade?" Guy asked, his tone brisk though for what reason Luke wasn't sure. He looked over his shoulder to see an uneasy, borderline sad, look on his friends face. Internally, he heard Asch scoff.

'What?' Luke asked quickly as Asch moved further towards the front. Luke stayed out of his mind in order to not get too distracted but could easily tell Asch was again irritated.

'As if he actually cares…'

'You know, if you actually tried talking to everyone, you would know they don't hate you. Even Guy…'

'Seriously? You believe that garbage he fed…'

'Look, he said he could never forgive our father,' he snapped, finally done with Asch's roiling emotions since the man woke up again. 'But he said he wouldn't blame us for our father's mistakes anymore. You can believe what you want but we all forgave. Why can't you?' The former g-d general was quiet after that. Luke shook his head slightly as he realized he still ended up missing part of the conversation.

"…There are many theories revolving around replicas and their originals; theories concerning the passing of fonons from one to the other at ones passing."

"…And?" Guy prompted.

"And nothing," Jade finished with a shrug, "I am afraid with no physical evidence I can hardly make a theory let alone support one previously created," he said flippantly with little emotion or apparent concern.

"Then why ask?" Luke asked in confusion, glad he was able to jump back into the conversation without any suspicion. By this point, he understood Jade far better than the man gave him credit for. The Necromancer had plenty of theories. Luke just knew better than to try and pry them from the man. However, Jade was not mean or unreasonable. Luke knew that if it was something they should know, Jade wouldn't keep it from them.

"Simple," Jade said, "the easiest way to remember his sacrifice is to understand what that sacrifice truly entailed," the group stopped as Jade continued walking up the staircase. Luke even felt Asch startle at Jade's words.

"Jade… that's…" Guy began but Jade stopped suddenly and looked down the few steps that separated him from the group. His eyes were, as usual, hidden by the glare of his glasses.

"Come along, we haven't got all day and these old bones are already starting to creak," he said with a weary tone, before beginning to ascend the stairs at the same fast pace he had used prior.

"He was the one who didn't want to stop to rest…" Guy whispered in Luke's ear who couldn't help but snicker. As they continued up the stairs, Anise beginning a quick fire wits battle with Jade, Luke could have sworn he heard Asch's voice in the back of his mind.

'Perhaps…'


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N** : **Hi everyone! A few days late, I know. My work schedule changed suddenly this week so I apologize for the short delay. This is in fact the last chapter of this fic (though I may write a small epilogue or continuation at some point in the future). Let me know what you think!**

 **Small Note: this chapter was not beta read fully so if there are any massive grammer or spelling errors that were missed, please let me know.**

 **Best,**

 **~ CMA**

 **DiaSphere:** I'm glad you have enjoyed it up till now! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. The end of these games are always so battle heavy, yet TOA (any Tales game really) is so much more about reflection and inner struggles that it didn't seem right to try and put in additional fights or action scenes.

* * *

'Perhaps…' the word resounded within the void and Asch was surprised that Luke didn't catch it.

Asch chose to stay within the recesses of Luke's mind while the group talked and moved on. From Luke's perspective, Asch's silence seemed to be the result of the group's previous conversation. In actuality, Asch had noticed that forcing himself closer to the outside world caused his fatigue to increase. While he didn't want to wallow in the darkness, he was too tired to force himself forward. Asch figured it was better for Luke to think he was still angry than for the emotional idiot to be filled with more unnecessary worry. Sitting in the darkness, Asch counted the number of disappearing fonons. He winced as five suddenly vanished at once to his right.

He didn't want to admit that Luke was right, but as he sat watching Luke's life force disappear (just as his own had), he was annoyed to realize he couldn't deny it either. He hadn't heard the entire conversation with Natalia but he had gotten the gist of it. He had wondered at first, when he had first encountered Luke back on the outskirts of Baticul, why the woman he loved had still seemed too take the replica's side. At that time, Asch was quick to realize how ridiculous he was being after noting how often she would run to him immediately.

Now, sitting in a slowly darkening silence, the group's words had struck him more deeply than he had thought. They had spent their last few minutes before the final battle discussing him and his feelings. He wasn't all together surprised that the Oracle Knight was kind enough to ask and inquire. He had been about to tell Luke off for even continuing the conversation; but when even Guy joined in, Asch was sent into speechless silence. Jade's words, above all else, were the biggest surprise. Jade was a soldier and had seen plenty of death in his lifetime. Though he suspected Jade did have a secondary motive in regards to understanding Asch's connection with Luke, Asch also believed that Jade's tone had been honest: Jade had specifically asked to know about Asch's death simply to know.

The top of the stairway was still not visible when Asch finally sighed and moved forward to greet the light mental prod that Luke kept sending his way. Luke's rage had fled quickly after they parted angrily. Though Luke hadn't tried to say anything, he kept silently checking in as if hoping Asch was willing to talk again. Realizing that they were about to have their final battle, Asch decided he couldn't let Luke have the last word. Asch had a moment to wonder when he had stopped thinking of him as just his 'Replica' and had started to call him (if only in his own subconscious) Luke. He wanted to be annoyed by the thought but was too tired to even draw up the emotion. The fatigue was worse than ever before; he felt as though he was pushing against a heavy current as he moved forward to meet the incorporeal Luke. As his own concerned face, though with much shorter hair, came into view, he felt himself stumble though the feeling was strange without a physical body. He felt Luke's hand catch his arm, the other red head keeping him steady.

'Woah! You oka…?' Luke asked before his voice began to slowly trail off. Asch took a deep breath before looking down at the arm that was held in Luke's grasp. His own incorporeal form was fading before his own eyes. He watched as his arm, which had small sparks of glowing green fonons, was beginning to pull away and dissolve into the black void. 'What…?'

'Well, that answers that question…' Asch said. Before either of the two red heads could speak again, a quick flash of green light filled the void. Asch blinked a couple of times until the light faded. Looking down at his arm again, the appendage had returned to its full state but he could tell that it was still more faded then the rest of his body.

'What… What the hell was that?' Luke demanded, his hand now hovering over Asch's arm as if afraid to touch him again.

'Idiot. I told you, didn't I? I only transferred my consciousness here before my body died. My mind can hardly survive in a body that already has a mind,' he said, working through the explanation as he said it. He hadn't even known if it was possible to send his consciousness to Luke in his dying moments.

'So… you…' Luke began before seeming to shake himself. 'Well I suppose that makes sense.'

'What did you want?' Asch asked with a sigh, deciding there was no point in continuing the conversation.

'What do you expect will happen after this?' Luke asked, his voice taking on a strange tone. Asch narrowed his eyes as he watched Luke look down at the black ground. For a second he wanted to ask why the hell he was asking him and not his friends before it hit him: only Tear and Jade knew the truth. He doubted Luke wanted to speak to either of them about the situation and certainly not while surrounded by the others.

'I imagine we will die,' he said in as deadpanned a voice as he could manage. He was impressed when Luke just barely suppressed a flinch. For maybe the first time, it truly hit Asch that Luke was technically only seven years old. He couldn't stop the involuntary grimace and disgust that filled him with that thought before a new, even more unwelcome emotion hit him: pity. 'If you somehow survive, my mind will probably vanish soon after,' he said instead and blinked as a sharp laugh escaped Luke.

'Have you been talking to Jade? You sound just like him,' he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Asch was surprised with Luke's ability to keep face despite it all. He always knew that Luke was basically a child stuck in an adult's body. He had never truly considered what that meant. Even in that moment, he realized he didn't want to.

'I accepted my death. No point holding on to a false hope,' he said as Luke turned away so his back was facing Asch. His back was tense and stiff, the green fonons around them continuing to vanish.

'All we can do is make sure the others all survive,' Luke said after a few moments. His tone even and, from what Asch could tell, accepting. 'Will you help me?'

'I didn't enter your mind for my own enjoyment, idiot,' he said without malice, almost bordering on amusement. Luke turned slightly, only half a smile visible from Asch's angle.

'You aren't calling me dreck anymore,' Luke said matter-of-factly. Asch was impressed by Luke's sudden ability to catch on so quickly. He had a moment to wonder if it was because they had more or less merged into one mind before shoving the thought aside, not wanting to dwell on that implication just yet.

'Last time we spoke, you said that wasn't your name,' Asch said, annoyed by his own defensiveness as he turned away from his look alike. Another laugh reached his ears, this time without tension as Luke's presence left briefly. Asch took a deep breath as he noticed why: the top of the stairs were within sight. Asch forced the fatigue away as he moved to the front of Luke's mind where Luke's presence returned.

As Luke crested over the top of the stairs, the open spaced roof came into view. The roof was enormous and bare aside from a few massive marble white pillars. Kneeling at the center of it all, with his sword fixed in the ground beside him, was Van. The group moved forward a few more steps as Van pushed to his feet.

"Impressive. I was expecting Asch to find his way here." Van began as he moved forward a few steps away from his weapon. Asch knew Van had never truly cared; Asch had used that one thought to drive him towards this very end goal. Yet, to hear his old Master still have a high expectation of him, at first he felt disappointment in himself before an odd sense of satisfaction hit him that he had managed to dash Van's expectations.

"Asch is here too. He's inside of me, lending me his strength," Asch looked at Luke out of the corner of his eye.

"Hmm…The Second-order hyperresonance… Splendid. You have even surpassed the original," Asch's teeth clenched at those words, but he wasn't truly filled with anger until Van finished his next sentence. "You have become a real human," Asch felt Luke's hand fist at those words. "You have stepped across a sea of corpses. Now, come with me, Luke. We will destroy the planet's memory and overturn the score of Final Judgment." Asch knew Luke was going to refuse long before the angry words left their mouth. The fact that Van even considered for a moment that Luke would join forces with him proved to Asch that there was no hope: his Master was truly not the man he had thought he was.

Luke continued his speech but Asch found himself drifting suddenly as he fell into memories. He saw himself as a child, fighting against Master Van in the courtyard of the manor. He knew the memory was before the incident; however, Master Van looked like he did now. Luke flung himself forward, his sword swinging in a large arc towards Van's head. The man hadn't even raised his sword yet to protect himself and Luke remembered the annoyance that surged through his body. As his wooden sword swung by, he waited for the impact of wood against flesh. Instead he was only met by air. He blinked as his body continued to follow the path of his swing and he saw Van out of the corner of his eye, finishing a short side step. The jarring of flesh against hard stone was what registered next in his mind as he lost his balance.

He next remembered sitting on a balcony in the castle, looking out at the sun setting over the open ocean. Van was standing next to him and although the exact words were not easily recalled, he could remember the sense of excitement that filled him as he looked up to his Master. Van had asked him to come with him, to leave behind those who would betray him... though Luke was older than when it had happened…

He saw himself, covered in a black cloak, running through the pouring rain. The trees were suffocating him on either side as yellow eyes appeared through the brush. He could feel the blood soaking through his hair, both his own blood and blood from the wolf that he left dead at his back…

He was facing off against Van in the courtyard again, the man having finally drawn his own sword. Their swords clashed only once before Luke was sent careening to the ground. '…Asch,' he heard himself say as his body was jarred on the hard stone. He shook his head to disperse the sudden annoyance that came with the word. He looked up grumbling to find a much younger Guy extending a hand with a caring expression.

He was in a cage, pushing against the bars as light filled his vision… 'Asch…;

He was on a large boat; Van standing beside him as the waves gently rocked them back and forth. He was being asked to come with him, to be a hero…yet when he looked down into the water, a child's face looked back…

'ASCH!' The shout jolted through the memories, shattering them like glass. Asch found himself surrounded by darkness; Luke was kneeling before him and a small green light bobbed in front of his face.

'Wha…What?' he said, confusion shaking his mind as the memories tried to resurface. He shook his head, pushing back the feeling that was trying to draw him back.

'What was that?' Luke asked after a moment as if out of breath. The sounds from outside indicated Van and the group were still speaking though Asch couldn't make out the words.

'Those were my memories but…'

'…those were my memories too…' Luke finished slowly. Asch met Luke's eyes, eyes that looked so very much like his own and for a moment, he thought he saw Luke's hair begin to grow before he blinked the vision away. Luke returned to having short hair though his eyes were widened in shock.

'Those memories… they weren't right…' Luke began, trying to puzzle it out. Asch could only agree. Though he remembered each moment vividly, each memory was off. He hadn't spoken with Van about joining him while on a boat and Guy had never looked at him with a caring expression before. He stood quickly.

'We don't have time to worry about this,' he said, though he was hard pressed to conceal his concerned tone about the issue. Luke took a single breath before nodding and moving to his feet. They moved forward again in time to hear the end of Jade's address to Van. Van, who had still not returned to his sword which was stuck in the ground, was about to open his mouth to argue the necromancers point when the former Fon Master Guardian cut him off.

"You hate the Score so much, you're shackled to it more than anyone else," she accused, her eyes narrowed and filled with anger.

"Perhaps" Van said, looking up to the blue sky above. "I… no all of us… are bound to the future we call the score…"

"We believe we can choose our future." Luke stated, saying it at the same time Asch verbalized it as well.

"I know that the future is predetermined." Van said, turning his back on the group as he began to walk back towards his sword. "As I thought, it would seem we cannot see eye to eye." He pulled his sword from the ground, pointing the blade at Luke as a blast of energy flew from his body. "Draw your weapons… I'll take you all on at once!"

"Van… prepare yourself!" Luke shouted, his weapon singing as it swung through the air.

The fight was fairly one-sided at first. Despite being up against six expertly skilled fighters, Van was easily holding his own and managing to push offensively while the group was forced to defend. Asch could feel the energy around him diminishing faster and faster as seconds passed. The adrenaline was keeping Luke going but Asch was easily feeling the drain. He could hear Tear singing just behind the noise of fighting but each time it seemed to get cut off part way. After a particularly nasty hit that sent Luke flying, Tear rushed over.

"Luke!" She said, falling to her knees beside him and immediately healing the large gash that had been left on his right shoulder.

'Tell her to sing the Grand Fonic Hymn' Asch quickly demanded, feeling Luke's momentary confusion before relaying the words into a nicer request of the seventh fonist. As Luke got into position in front of Tear, Asch gathered his mind. He could feel the fonons around him vanishing and knew they wouldn't get many more chances. 'Attack,' was all he said into the dark silence before he felt Luke begin to rush forward. Knowing it could be detrimental to Luke, but not knowing how else to harness his own hyperresonence in his fading state, Asch gathered the very fonons that surrounded him. He felt them pulse, and fight against him before he noticed Luke's incorporeal presence appear. Luke began to gather the fonons as well, and almost immediately, the fonons came to their call.

'We got one shot at this,' Luke said into the void as he slammed his sword into Van's stone solid form. Asch and Luke braced themselves as they were nearly sent flying again only to catch the swing of Van's sword with their own. Jumping back a step, Luke rushed in again with a quick Sonic Thrust before using the momentum to jump and swing to Van's back.

As Van began to turn to face the threat, a beautiful melody began to fill the space. Van's eyes widened marginally and he was about to turn back the other way only to have Guy come in with a Beast at Van's side. The secondary distraction caused Van to misstep. As he stepped out of the way of Guy's attack, he instead landed nicely in the area of Jade's Thunder Lance. As the electricity surged through Van's body, knocking him back a few feet, Luke readied his sword. Anise appeared behind Van who had just regained his balance and knocked him to the side with a large swing from Tokunaga. Tear's song continued and Van began to finally lose control of the power within.

'Let's end this,' Asch said into the void as an arrow from Natalia landed at Van's staggering feet.

'What happened to not wanting to help?' Luke quipped and Asch couldn't help the amused roll of his eyes at the unnecessary sass. Without another word, Asch and Luke pushed their hyperresonance forward into the Sword of Lorelei. As the power converged at the point, Luke leaned forward and then took off at a dead sprint. Just as Van was taking his hands away from his head, Luke and Asch made contact. The sword pierced through fabric, tearing through flesh and bone. As the sword slide through Van's stomach, Luke looked up into the man's eyes. Van's eyes were already beginning to glaze over even as the body went limp on the sword. Dropping the weapon from his hands, Asch had a moment to wonder what Van's final thought was when the world exploded with light.

The sound of Tear's voice cut off as the fonons gathered within the Sword of Lorelei released. Van's form was surrounded in green light and for a moment, Asch could see nothing but a bright green void. Asch felt pain radiating through him again until the green light finally turned to black.

* * *

'You awake?' the voice, far away and barely discernable asked. Asch opened his eyes half way, too tired to open them fully. He blearily looked around the black void and slowly took note of the barely lit space. Before the void had been riddled with green lights, now the space was almost completely pitch black. He could make out only four or five small clusters of green fonons that still remained. He raised his hand to rub the side of his head only to notice his hand was missing as was most of his arm. He figured panic would be the correct emotion to feel with that realization but instead just a feeling of acceptance came.

'You awake?' The voice asked again. Too tired to respond, he merely turned his head. Luke sat to his left, his legs crossed and his gaze focused on a small patch of green fonons off in the distance.

'We win?' Asch found himself asking as Luke turned his gaze towards the original. A single nod was all Asch needed before he found his eyes closing again.

'Van was defeated,' Luke continued as if the need to talk was most important in that moment even though the words were redundant. 'You passed out when the fonons were released.' Asch was too tired to tell Luke that he had already figured that one out. He wanted to ask about Natalia and the others but the words wouldn't form on his lips. 'The others are safe. They left a few moments ago,' Luke continued, and Asch had to wonder if Luke had read his mind. Asch simply nodded in thanks. 'We still have one thing left to do before we can rest,' Luke said. It was then that Asch felt the tremors. At first he thought it was himself shaking before he realized it was the world outside. 'Eldrant won't last much longer. It's falling apart around us,' Luke continued as if Asch had spoken. Asch had half a suspicion that Luke was in fact reading his mind before deciding it didn't matter. He reached out his left hand, the only hand he had left, to Luke who grabbed it.

As the last remaining fonons were released, the Sword of Lorelei cut into the stone flesh of Eldrant. A voice rang out. Asch wasn't sure if it was his voice, Luke's, or Lorelei's that he heard in that moment. The voice floated through his body as he felt himself fall. The black void had finally turned white.

'…You who are the same as I…Thank you…'


End file.
